Anthony wedo commencement1/14/2024 ![]() ![]() The key is, once we get hope established, then we create thoughtful goals and objectives. Clearly it was not able to get the traction that we all want. Q: What type of an organization did you find at Buffets, Inc.?Ī: The organization was battered and bruised. Once hope is established, then you can establish any goals and objectives you like. We have hope.” I want to create a clear vision around that hope. ![]() Demonstrate that you want to hold their hand and pull them up from the ground. So, the first thing you want do is reach out to the people. People have been beaten up in a turnaround, because things haven’t gone so well. You have to change the culture, and the first thing to change is how the people view themselves. Q: What are the biggest challenges of leading a turnaround team?Ī: There are many challenges, but I think it’s a privilege to lead a turnaround team, because we’re bonding on a mission together. He shares his tips for how to manage employees and guests during this critical period. During his career, Wedo established a successful track record with turning around companies and was a natural fit for the Buffets organization. CEO Anthony Wedo joined the national steak-buffet company during a challenging turnaround period. Additionally, he has been a member of many corporate and non-profit boards.Ĭurrently, Anthony guides investment in franchise growth brands, consulting with restaurant, hospitality and retail clients, as well as participating in speaking engagements. He has served as an operating partner for several private equity firms, raising over $500 million in debt and equity and leading a successful public auction. By shifting the company from a process-driven to innovation-driven approach, he was able to relaunch the brand with an aggressive marketing campaign, revitalize the menu and customer experience, and slash corporate expenses, including overhead by $45 million per year.Īnthony began his professional career at PepsiCo where he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Vice President and General Manager of a $1 billion KFC division before age 30. The operator of six national buffet brands, including Old Country Buffet, Ryan’s and Tahoe Joe’s, recruited Anthony as CEO to reinvigorate its restaurant portfolio – a role that would attract the attention of CBS, which featured Anthony in two episodes of its hit TV show, “Undercover Boss.” Anthony transformed the company with a full rebrand and turned around operations through culture change, operational restructuring, team building and process refinement – work that dramatically exceeded investor expectations by building to $10.5 billion in sales, with 18,000 employees and 350 restaurants across 35 states. When not leading or consulting on companies’ reinvigoration and growth strategies, Anthony spends his time developing authentic leaders by sharing his expertise – whether on CBS’s “Undercover Boss,” where he was featured in two of its most popular episodes as a speaker at national industry events, workshops and retreats as the author of “The 12 Commandments: Lessons in Servant Leadership” or as a professor at the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business & Economics.Īnthony credits his behavioral leadership expertise to three defining categories to his success: rapidly growing startups, consolidating and transforming brands, and turning around and reinventing corporations. ![]() and has recruited and managed franchisees in all parts of the country. A leader who specializes in transforming businesses during periods of significant change, Anthony has developed and acquired restaurants in every major market in the U.S. Over the past 30 years, Anthony Wedo has been a Fortune 50 executive, the CEO of some of the nation’s largest restaurant chains, and an entrepreneur.
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